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“I understand your reservations, but to be fair, Crystal was nineteen when you married her. What did you expect?”
Joe snorts and folds his arms across his chest. “I expected the third time to be the charm, and I expected to have empty balls every night. But she turned out to be way worse than my other exes. Now I have three ex-wives and they all have their hands in my pockets. I’m just happy I never had kids with any of them.”
I shake my head and sigh. “I don’t understand why you didn’t request a pre-nuptial agreement.”
“Simple,” says Joe. “Love.”
I run my fingers through my hair and stare at the folder on my desk. Jade is beautiful, but I’ve worked too hard to throw away my success.
“That wasn’t love, that’s called thinking with your dick. And in any case, I’m only going on the date to feel her out and see what she’s about,” I reason.
Joe gets to his feet and shakes his head again. “Protect your balls and your wallet. She’ll suck them both dry and leave you standing there blowing in the wind.”
I watch Joe walk out of my office, the ultimate cautionary tale, and pray I don’t fall victim to the same fate.
Shoving the folder holding all the details of Jade’s life into my briefcase, I finally prepare to leave for the day. I walk by Amelia, who’s still at her desk on the phone with a notepad and several folders spread out in front of her.
“Pack it in, Amelia,” I say. “Whoever is on the phone can reach us tomorrow.”
If I don’t usher her out of the building now, she’ll stay until midnight trying to get everything done. I refuse to replace another secretary. The last one quit due to exhaustion after being severely overworked. Working for me is very demanding but I try to make the compensation worthwhile.
She hits the mute button on the phone and looks up at me. “Mr. Tanaka is in town and is requesting a meeting. I’ll have this wrapped up within the next thirty minutes or so.”
“Thirty minutes,” I say. “No more. Then I want you to go home and relax.”
She nods and returns to the call, effectively ending our conversation. I check the time and quickly walk to the elevator. I need to head home and shower before my date. I hope Jade likes French food, because our reservations are for Mon Amour, a restaurant I’ve been wanting to get back to.
I had to call in several favors to get the reservation at the last minute. I love the authentic atmosphere of the place, mainly because it takes me back to the vacations I’ve spent in Paris.
Ed is waiting for me outside. He flicks his cigarette on the ground before stepping on it.
“All set, boss?” he asks, holding the door open for me.
I nod and slide inside the car with my mind still on Jade. Does she wear a lot of make-up? Will her hair be up or down? What will she wear? Shit, what am I going to wear?
Since I typically go to the gym, home and then the office, my options at the condo are limited.
“Ed, let’s go to the Hills, I need to go through my clothes,” I say.
“Roger that, boss,” says Ed, taking a sharp right turn.
I watch as the outside world starts to look more familiar the closer we get to my house. The buildings are spaced out and we’re suddenly surrounded by impeccable landscaping.
A few minutes later, we pull into my driveway and Ed types in the gate code. I feel a wave of relief. Everything is just like I left it, not that I was expecting anything less.
Ed pulls up to the front door and lets me out. The doors fling open and Yvette rushes outside to meet me holding a feather duster.
“Mr. Jordan, I wasn’t expecting you to be home today. I haven’t cooked anything, but if you give me an hour I’ll have something whipped up for you.”
I smile and fall in step with Yvette as we walk inside. “This is just a quick pit stop for a shower and a change of clothes, so there’s no need to cook anything.”
She fusses at me for a few more minutes before returning to her work. I head to my bedroom and close the door. Walking through the bathroom and into the adjoining room I had remodeled into a closet, I consider my options.
I stand back and stare at my wardrobe. Nothing jumps out at me, so I hit the button and shift the clothes around, searching for my favorite black shirt and deep gray slacks. I don’t like my clothes overly flashy and prefer darker colors to compliment my eyes and hair. My outfit choice is simple, but it’s much better than wearing a three-piece suit everywhere.
